New Beginnings
by KaibaGirl167
Summary: Joey wonders if it's time to end his on and off relationship with Seto Kaiba and restart his life from scratch.


Friday evening found Joey Wheeler sitting on the hardwood floor of his apartment surrounded by piles of photos. They all depicted him and Seto Kaiba, his ex-boyfriend. Well, for now anyways. In the five years they'd been dating, they had broken up countless times. In the beginning of their seemingly perpetual break-up make-up cycle, Joey left cuts on his arms. But that had long since ended, and all that was left were a few badly healed scars from about a year ago.

Joey was in the process of tearing all of their photos to pieces. He didn't want to be reminded of Seto anymore. Lately, the length of Joey and Seto's separations were becoming longer and longer. Joey knew that it was time to let go of Seto. He just didn't know how.

It had been nine weeks since Joey had screamed his hatred for Seto, since he had proclaimed that he would not ever be coming back. But when he went to his apartment after the fight, and curled up under the thin sheets of his cold and empty bed, it was hard not to think of how Seto held him close and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. He missed the playful banter at breakfast, how Seto always tried to make breakfast for Joey but it was always Joey who got up first. He missed cuddling with Seto as they watched a cheesy romantic comedy, or the way that Seto would purposefully let him win a game of Duel Monsters.

But there was another side of Seto, a darker side, an angry side. Seto was very possessive of Joey and wanted him to only stay at Seto's home, to only speak to Seto. Joey, however, wanted to hang out with his friends. Both of them, being very stubborn and headstrong, got into fights about this often. Joey always claiming that he didn't need Seto bragging about how he could easily get a job and an apartment on his own. Seto always saying Joey would never get anywhere without him, that Joey needed him to live and breath.

Around the time of their second year together, Seto bought an apartment for Joey to live in during their fights. They both knew that Joey had never gotten a job or an apartment and that he lived on the streets until he was ready to live with Seto again. It made Joey mad, but he did enjoy the apartment much more than dark allies and the occasional school bus.

Joey used to visit his friends during the times he wasn't staying with Seto. He never told them the real reason he went missing for such long periods of time, always saying it was work. He wished it was work. He grew tired of the questioning and hated the lying. His visits grew few and far between until he stopped visiting at all. He wished he was strong enough to actually find a job, buy his own apartment, find a new lover, make it through life his own way, but he knew he could live life the easy way at Seto's. Seto loved him. Joey loved Seto. Did he really need to change this way of life?

Yes. He knew he needed to. That was why he was sitting on the hardwood floor of his, no, Seto's apartment, tearing up every picture until it was unrecognizable. Then he took every shred and threw them into the fireplace and watched as all his mementos of Seto took to flame and melted into ashes. He was ready now. He'd been away from Seto for the longest time yet. He was ready to leave this apartment and this life. He was ready and prepared for what he was about to do.

Friday night found Joey asleep on the floor of an apartment, in front of the embers of a dying fire. Not a tear had fallen from his eyes, and he looked quite peaceably as he slept. In fact, there was a trace of a smile on his face.

Joey waited quietly and nervously at the front door of Seto's home. He was ready to tell Seto good-bye forever. His palms were clenched and sweaty. He shifted his weight as he wondered if he should knock again. Just as he raised his fist to rap on the door, the door clicked and opened, revealing a rather relieved Seto Kaiba. Seto moved to pull Joey closer but stopped when Joey backed away. Seto gave him a puzzled look but let his arms drop back to his sides.

"It's been so long Joey, I-I thought you wouldn't come back." Seto whispered hoarsely.

Joey cast his eyes down. He didn't want to disappoint Seto. He wanted to run into his arms and kiss him and say that he'd never leave again. And he knew, this time, if he said that, if he let his heart take hold of him instead of his head, he would mean it. He really wouldn't leave again. He would let Seto take hold of him, Seto would become everything, he would lose touch with his friends and his sister. God, how long had it been since he'd spoken to his own sister? It had been years.

They had argued over Seto, Serenity complaining that the relationship wasn't healthy, but Joey wouldn't listen to her, arguing that she didn't know a thing about love and that she'd never had anything like what he and Seto had, so how could she understand what really went on? Needless to say, they fell out of contact with each other.

Joey shook his head, as if he could shake the memories out through his ears. He lifted his head but couldn't bring himself to look in this man's eyes.

"Kaiba, I'm not here to stay." he choked out.

Seto's blinked several times trying to get rid of the wetness. "Wh-why not? There's no reason why you can't, Joey." Seto stuttered.

"Kaiba, you, I, we just can't be together. This isn't...this isn't working out. Here are the keys to your apartment. I won't be staying there anymore. I'm sorry, it's not you it's...it is you."

"Joey don't be so hasty, I'm sure we can work this out, we always did before. Please Joey, I-you need me. I'll do whatever it takes because you need me."

All the remorse and pity Joey had for this man vanished. Who was he to tell Joey what he did and did not need? He remembered their last argument, and the reason they couldn't be together. He remembered his purpose here. He held his head up and looked the taller man in his ice cold blue eyes.

"That's where you're wrong, Kaiba. I don't need you. I can do things on my own. You know absolutely nothing about what I need. You can't control me. Look, just take the damn keys, okay?" He thrust out his palm, his brown eyes still locked onto the other's blue ones. Slowly, Seto realized he had to let it go. His shoulders drooped as though the weight of the situation were upon them, and he reached for the keys. Once they were in his grasp, Joey nodded, and began walking away, to his new life.

"You're going to regret this. You're going to miss me, but you'll never be able to have me again. You are going to miss me." Seto stated, certainty in his low and broken voice.

Joey stopped and turned so he could see Seto's face, and as a small smile graced his lips, he spoke in a bittersweet tone.

"I know."

Then he was gone. He raced across the sidewalk, and around the corner, out of Seto's sight. A few tears slid down his cheeks as he pondered which friend to visit first. Where he was going to sleep that night. How he was going to get a job. How to restart his life, his new life away from Seto. It hit him that he had no idea where to go from here. It had started to sprinkle and maybe that was why Joey turned into the coffee shop right then. If he had kept walking, he would have missed it. But he didn't, he walked into the dumpy place with the pungent smell of strong coffee and it was there that he saw him. A short boy with spiky, tri-colored hair, his back turned away from Joey. It had been years but Joey would never forget who that hair belonged to. Although it really was the kind that stood out, and after all, it belonged to the man who had been named the greatest duelist in the world. Yugi Moto.

Joey boldly strode over to him and pulled out the chair across from the man. "Hey Yug, how's it goin'?" Joey tried to smile.

Yugi's eyes lit up, pleased to see his friend okay after so many years. "Joey! It's been so long since I've seen you! What's happened? How are you?"

"Well I could tell you now but first...can I stay the night at your place? Actually maybe more like a few nights. I've got a lot to tell you."

"Ah, of course Joey! So tell me, what's happened since we saw each other last?"

As Joey began his tale, he knew that even though he really didn't know what to do with his life; he wouldn't be alone in his journey.


End file.
